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Maniple
A maniple is the equivalent of a Division in the military hierarchy of the FFEL. In general however it can be applied to any division-sized force in the Human Domain. It is an extremely broad term, and there is a diverse variety of maniples and their style of organization. This article will focus on the FFEL itself and its organization and maniple types. While much of the nomenclature comes from the Pre-Marian Roman legions, the organizational structure and composition of forces itself is based upon the Soviet Army of bygone days - the mightiest army ever put to field in human history. Division Composition A maniple is divided into four centuries which are further divided into four regiments which are themselves divided into four battalions. Maniples will henceforth be examined at the battalion level. As of the year 197, a battalion is a group of 250 soldiers. Motorized Rifle The motorized rifle maniple is the most common type there is. There exist thousands of motorized rifle maniples stationed at posts throughout the domain. The motorized rifle utilizes largely infantry forces, who fight from IFVs. There are also armoured regiments consisting of second-tier support tanks, who fight as infantry support rather than as main battle tanks. As with any maniple, there are also attachments of artillery and specialist anti-aircraft weapons, as well as logistical and medical support battalions. Structure A total of 16,000 soldiers form a motorized rifle maniple. 32 Mechanized Infantry Battalions, consisting of a total of 8,000 fighting men and 1600 infantry fighting vehicles. 16 Armoured Battalions, consisting of a total of 4,000 fighting men in 1120 tanks. Century #4 4 SPG Battalions, a total of 1,000 combatants operating 500 self-propelled artillery guns. 4 SP-AA Battalions, a total of 1,000 combatants operating 500 self-propelled anti-air vehicles. 4 Logistical Battalions, a total of 1,000 combatants who operate soft-armoured trucks and communications systems to provide supplies, repairs, etc. to the rest of the maniple. 4 Cleric Battalions, a total of 1,000 semi-combatants whose primary objective is to nurse wounds inflicted by the enemy on the maniple's personnel. Armoured The armoured is a force to be reckoned with - if extremely expensive to field. While 2/3 of a motorized rifle's combatants consists of infantry and the remainder of armoured forces, the proportions are reversed here. However, the infantry support for an armoured maniple does not use IFVs but instead Tankettes as infantry transports. The main armoured force consists of the latest and greatest of the powerful and rugged Main Battle Tanks - not the hand-me-down, lighter Support Tanks of the motorized rifles. As most of an armoured maniple fights as, well, armoured battalions, they tend to trade away some Cleric Battalions to leave room for additional logistics, anti-aircraft support, and artillery. Marine Fighting on aquatic worlds requires a special touch of expertise - the kind marines have in abundance. Marines largely consist of infantry, who fight from amphibious assault vehicles, but marines also have armoured support in the form of lightly-armoured tanks (nonetheless armed with heavy cannons). Half of the room normally used for artillery and logistics vehicles is traded for support gunboats (in some cases even battleship-caliber) and logistical naval vessels. Marines also have greater atmospheric complements than most other maniples. Structure 32 Mechanized Marine 16 Armoured 2 SPG 2 Gunboats 4 SP-AA 2 Logistics 2 Supply Ships 4 Cleric Orbital Most of the time, maniples are on the strategic defensive and lack the means to take the initiative without support from the United Armada. This is not the case for orbital maniples. Coming with a full complement of Daedalus Drop Pods and Atmospheric Craft along with significant armoured and artillery support, the orbital maniple's job is to lead the assault on a hostile planet after significant bombardment from orbit. It is impossible to conquer without boots on the ground after all. Structure 32 Orbital Insertion Infantry 12 Armoured 8 SPG 4 SP-AA 4 Logistics 4 Cleric See Also *French Foreign Extra-terrestrial Legion *French Foreign Extra-terrestrial Legion Order of Battle